struggle for existence incidents in the pearl john steinbeck

Kino then takes the pearl and throws it as hard as he can back into the ocean. After Kino kills the trackers and rushes back to the cave, he finds that his son has been shot.Ĭarrying their dead child, they emerge from the mountain back at their village, where the community silently looks on. Yet, at the same moment, Coyotito and a gunshot are heard. When he finally finds the trackers he attempts to attack them. Kino realizes that they are being followed and he tries to create false trails for the trackers. The family leaves to travel up the mountain to get to the capital city. Narrowly escaping, the family hides at Juan Tomas's house until it is safe to leave for the capital to sell the pearl. Although some people may argue that life is governed by choice, I disagree and believe that fate governs the human. A famous philosopher once said, Fate determines many things, no matter the struggle. Steinbeck uses this attack to point out the difficulty of life in general-that no matter how hard people struggle in life, there always seems to be another problem or obstacle in their path. However, they are each met with disaster: Kino finds the canoe destroyed and Juana finds the house has been set on fire. The Pearl By John Steinbeck: Character Analysis. The scorpion attack is part of the human struggle for existence and parallels the attacks by men later on. Juana decides to go home to gather their belongings while Kino goes to ready the canoe.

In September 2001, a Sikh petrol station owner in Arizona was shot dead by a man who was said to be seeking revenge on Muslims for the attacks on the US.

The two inevitably decide they must leave. In the US, especially since the attacks of September 11th, 2001, Sikhs have sometimes been confused publicly with Muslims because of their turban headdress and beards. In Steinbecks descriptions of the sea, there is emphasis that life in the sea is a struggle. After Coyotito is cured, Juana and Kino end up fighting off thieves, robbers, and themselves when the greed and lust for the pearl become unbearable. It shows fight for survival and the cruelty greed can bring. Kino finds such a large pearl that it attracts attention from all the villagers.

So, Kino goes out in the ocean in search of a pearl.Īt home Juana prays that her husband will find a pearl bigger than any other and her prayers are answered. One day Coyotito is bitten by a scorpion and Kino and Juana do not have the money for treatment. Although they are poor, the family lives a relatively happy life. The story opens in a remote seaside village where a young family of three live: Kino, Juana, and their infant son, Coyotito.

Struggle for existence incidents in the pearl john steinbeck